Meta Now Lets Advertisers Pay for Ads Using Stablecoins

Meta has quietly opened the door to cryptocurrency again, allowing advertisers to fund their ad accounts using stablecoins. Advertisers can now pay through any wallet that supports USDC, including well-known platforms such as MetaMask, Coinbase, and Binance, giving businesses an alternative to traditional payment methods.

How the Stablecoin Payment Process Works

Rather than handling crypto transactions directly, Meta relies on third-party payment partners to convert USDC into local currency before settling the payment on its end. Once converted, the funds appear as a credit in the advertiser’s ad account balance, functioning much like a standard deposit. Meta has clarified that it does not issue, sell, or hold stablecoins itself, positioning this move as a partnership-driven expansion rather than a revival of its own crypto ambitions.

A Cautious Return After the Libra Failure

The update follows Meta’s earlier introduction of crypto payment options for creators, which fueled speculation that the company might be preparing to relaunch its own digital currency project. That speculation echoes Meta’s ill-fated Libra initiative, which collapsed under regulatory pressure years ago. This time, though, Meta appears content to enable outside crypto rails rather than build a proprietary payments network.

The broader industry context matters here too. Rivals like X are pushing further into embedded finance, with X Money now live for paying subscribers as part of a broader push toward all-in-one super-app functionality, a model that has already succeeded with apps like WeChat in Asia. By enabling stablecoin payments without owning the infrastructure, Meta may be testing a lower-risk path toward similar territory, expanding optionality for advertisers and creators while sidestepping the regulatory scrutiny that sank Libra.